(P.S.: Please note that I'm not making fun of heart attacks or of McCain's age; it's just that this photo, taken today and according to the caption shows McCain "touching his heart to acknowledge the well-wishes of his supporters," lets us see just how close the hockey-mom from Alaska could be to the Presidency....)
Nelsons
8/31/08
Happy Birthday Olivia
Amanda
8/30/08
It's Alexis, the girls cousin. Ryans littlest sisters daughter. We didn't plan the outfits either, the girls have had the jerseys for 2 or 3 years now and Lexi just showed up 2day in one 2 cute!
Karen
8/30/08
Wow, front page has changed. I know who two of the girls are, who is the other one?
Grandma
8/29/08
Happy Birthday, Olivia!!
The Hatgidakis Family
8/29/08
Happy Birthday Olivia!!!!!
Karen
8/28/08
Haven't watched any of the convention. Had thought that I would, but just haven't gotten into them. School is going well, beginning to get into the routine. Tomorrow I get off at 1 -- so that will be nice. Erika has been loaded down with homework already. Her third project it due on Tuesday. She said today that she will have a busy year, lots of tough classes. Brent is off for the next four days. Does have one project tomorrow. Needs to fix some weather stripping by the back door. Noticed it was loose (the cat helped it along). But didn't think it would be a problem until it got colder. Tonight he heard TJ out in the kitchen and jumping on the counter (which she is NOT allowed to do). Went to get her off and saw why she was up there. She wanted to "play" with the bat that was there!!!!! So while I hid in the hallway -- Brent and Erika got a can and captured the very large bat. Brent had hoped to end its life, but it was too fast for him and flew away. I hate that creature!!!
Yow! I have a fairly low bat-tolerance too. You've already missed some great moments in the convention, but you can still catch a great (and historic) moment tonight when Obama speaks, at 9 pm. --Gary
Gary
8/28/08
Here's another preview of the upcoming Republican Convention. This was actually a preview of their 2004 Convention, but they haven't changed their tune in the past four years, so I'm pretty sure it will look like this:
And here's an update on McCain's Dayton speech -- which it turns out is Friday night, and is his big Vice-President announcement speech. As the seat-fillers being brought in from nearby states get off the bus, they will be handed a "home-made" sign to wave during the speech -- and here are the signs being "home-made" in advance, by McCain staffers (this one is for real):
Seriously though, :-) Republicans have been harping on Obama as a "rock star," and sneering at his ability to pull in a crowd. Hmmmm, jealous much? If McCain could gather a crowd of 90,000+ people (which Obama will do tonight), the Republicans would be foaming at the mouth with joy. But he can't. I read this morning that McCain is having trouble filling a 10,000 seat auditorium in Dayton for an upcoming speech. Organizers are bussing in people from three surrounding states, hoping that there won't be any empty seats for the cameras to focus on.
Marsha
8/27/08
Good luck to EVERYONE who is back in school!! Loved the pictures of T and t with Gary on campus, it looked like a fun day. It was a cool day today and started out with a thunderstorm and raindrops, we need the water!
Tristen
8/26/08
Hey everbody, I love it at mickle. But today was jummbled up so I had to switch my schedule here it go's, 1&2 period, then 3 period, then 6 period, then 4 period, then 5 then 7. All because kids did not want lunch at 10:15. well that's my day. love (: Tristen
Thanks, Tristen! --Gary
Gary
8/26/08 New photos from Tristen and Teghan's visit to the campus last week.
Gary
8/26/08
Hey, I haven't seen many back-to-school reports here yet. If you scholars don't let us know how your school year has started out, I will be forced to use this space to tell really bad jokes. Like this one:
Teacher: If I give you two apples and two apples and another two apples, how many apples have you got? Mikey: Seven! Teacher: No, now listen carefully again. If I give you two apples and two more apples and then another two apples, how many apples have you got? Mikey: Seven! Teacher: Let's try this another way. If I give you two kittens and two more kittens and then another two kittens, how many kittens have you got? Mikey: Six. Teacher: Good! Now if I give you two apples and two apples and another two apples, how many apples have you got? Mikey: Seven! Teacher: How on earth do you work out that three sets of two apples gives you seven? Mikey: I brought one apple for lunch!
Gary
8/25/08
Ahh, the campus is full of students today, all studying their maps as they walk down the sidewalks. And we even had a sorta-kinda cool day for the first day of school (which is as it should be): Down in the 50s at 8 this morning, and only in the lower 80s now at the end of the day. I understand this has been the coolest year in five years, but even so I have had enough summer, thank you.
The Democratic Convention starts tonight. Some interesting stuff scheduled for each of the four nights.
Emily
8/24/08
Thanks Gary! I got all moved in today, and I officially start classes on Tuesday. I hope it is a good year too :)
Gary
8/24/08
Have a great school year, Emily!
Gary
8/23/08
Programming note: If you've gotten hooked on the Olympics and are not sure what you're going to watch when they are over, try the Democratic Convention. MSNBC just announced that they will be broadcasting live 20 hours each day from the Convention in Denver. They will have a rotating list of hosts -- the usual faces you see on MSNBC and NBC, including the great Rachel Maddow who incidentally has finally been given her own TV show! (She's had her own radio show for years.) Starting September 8, she's on every night on MSNBC, right after Keith Olbermann.
And with Obama naming Biden as his running mate today, it got me thinking: If Obama is smart (and he certainly is), he would get Rachel Maddow as his Press Secretary. Now that would be cool! If it actually happens, you read it here first. :-)
Amanda
8/21/08
So Grandma, is your TV working yet? Was it expensive?
Girls first two days went really well. I'll have T get on & write some about it, but really middle school is going better than expected. Not that we expected it to go bad, it's just going really well. And Teghan is glad to be all day, mostly for the lunches I think....
Karen
8/21/08
Erika and I survived our first day. Mine actually went very well, a few changes in my schedule. (I have now "graduated" and am helping in the 3rd classes, as well as 1st and 2nd.) Erika didn't have a full day. Emily took her in at 12:30, then all they did was get their schedules and locker. But she does seem happy with it. Good to the have the day over and tomorrow is Friday!!!
Teghan -- I LOVE your hair!
Gary
8/21/08
Head on over to the photos page to see what the first day of school looked like yesterday.
I do have the photos from Teghan and Tristen on Campus: The Return all ready, but they got trumped by these school photos. :-) So I'll put them up in a couple of days, after everyone has had a chance to see these.
Gary
8/20/08
Wow, first day of school photos featuring Teghan, Tristen, and Livy came pouring in this afternoon, but I won't be able to post them til tomorrow morning. Thanks for your patience, and watch this space!
Gary
8/20/08
Hey, I meant to mention here that Tristen and Teghan spent the day in my office again on Monday, and we had a great time. Pictures will follow soon.
Calling all Anthony Bourdain fans: Don't miss today's cool site, where Bourdain reviews many of the current personalities on the Food Channel. Here's a sample, on Sandra Lee ("Semi-Homemade"): "Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped." :-)
Grandma
8/19/08
Happy First Day of School to all of you guys tomorrow!!!!
Samantha, Anna & Sunny
8/18/08
Happy Birthday Bro!!!!!
Dad & Mom
8/18/08
Happy Birthday Zach!!!!!
Grandma
8/18/08
Well, Amanda, Welcome to Country living! Grasshoppers eat everything, even cloth if they are hungry. Back in the 30's I remember they piled up on the side of the barn, and we watched as they got on tall sunflowers and bent them to the ground in minutes stripping them bare. Mom's garden was bare ground in the morning and most of them had moved on to greener pastures. People told us they riddled clothes they had on the line. Their eggs winter over, and because you live on old farm ground, they are moving back. I'm sure there must be an environmently friendly spray or powder you could use.
I have seen half a dozen or so this year, kind of surprised me, I sprinkled "Sevin" on a few things, and didn't really follow up on it.
I hate the little buggers! They get pretty big by the end of fall, and they secrete a nasty 'juice' we always called it tobacco juice, cuz that's what it looked like!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
8/18/08
Happy Birthday Zach!
Nelsons
8/17/08
Happy Birthday Zachary
Grandma
8/17/08
Happy Birthday, Zach!!
Amanda
8/17/08
So, farmers almanac Grandma, have you now noticed the grasshopers? I hope we aren't the only ones getting them. They're everywhere! They're eating up the rose bushes, bad! HELP! What are they good for? Anything? (ie do they eat anything else?) And can you get rid of them? I did some research online & did not have promising answers....
Gary
8/13/08
Typo in today's cool site -- sorry if you couldn't access it. Now fixed.Gary
8/13/08
Wow. Could have made this one a cool site, but it's just too cool to wait. Behold the WAKE 'n BACON!
Gary
8/13/08
Rumor has it that the 40th President of the United States, Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces and Leader of the Free World, has fallen off the wagon and is drinking again. He appeared to be falling-down-drunk at the Olympics a few days ago. Even on his best days, his face looks kind of cockeyed and likkered-up -- but in these recent pictures he looks out-and-out drunk. In some of the pictures you can see a large (and unexplained) bruise on his right arm -- caused by choking on another pretzel? And when was the last time it took four or five people to help you up from a seat? Maybe he's not drunk, and maybe there's another explanation for it -- but any time the President of the United States needs five people to get him up out of a chair, it should be news. But of course, to our bought-and-paid-for media it isn't. So the only place you will see these pictures is the internet. Go here and here to see a few samples....
Amanda
8/12/08
Is anyone on dial up anymore? I thought Hatgidakis' were the last ones, but when John got his new job they got faster speed.
Good question. I hadn't really thought it through. Having been on dial-up so long myself, I still get nervous about creating photo-heavy pages. --Gary
Gary
8/12/08
Wow, big day for photos. With apologies to those of you on dial-up, we present even more pics -- from Livy, at the County Fair. Thanks, Livy!
Livy
8/12/08
Hey everybody!! Ya that was really sad about the man who was killed. I guess his whife just moved up another level, either serious or critical, either way she moved up one level. Good news we got another gold medal in swimming last night!!! The French are sure hating us now haha!! Just because they were saying that they were going to 'crush america' and gain Gold medals... Guess they are going to have to wait another 2 or 4 years! I think. Anywho, I got some more fish in my tank, I now have 6 fish and I also put in a live plant! But besides that matter, that's pretty much what I've been doing around here! Except the county fair, with the girls, saw A LOT of horses! Got to pet all of them too! Too dark for the pig races, but we got to see some bunnies, chickens, and that you could win a Mustang 2008 from some water company. But that's about it! Talk to you all later!!!
Gary
8/12/08
Livy's getting in some last-minute movies before school starts. Thanks for the new review, Livy!
Marsha
8/11/08
For those of you who don't know, the American tourist who was killed in China was the CEO of Bachman's. He was a wonderful man and very prominent in Minneapolis, we all loved having Todd Bachman at the helm. Even though he headed up our company of 29 stores and 1600 employees, he had a smile and greetings for each and every employee and customer, it wasn't beneath him to rescue a stray shopping cart or straighten up a flower in the nursery. He loved gardening. He was in China to watch the volleyball coached by his son in law, his daughter Elizabeth (Wiz) was an Olymmpic volleyball player in 2004 and he and his wife were there with them. When Barbara heard that Todd was being attacked, she ran back to help and was stabbed as well. We had a press conference at work today and the news was that she is improving but no word on when she will be able to leave China, their two other daughters (one of them also works at the Bachman's where I work) flew to China. It has been a bit unreal to experience all of this but the support and interest in this is just amazing. If you want to read more check out www.bachmans.com. John and I were in Rochester for the weekend for our anniversary when we heard the news on CNN. Rochester is a beautiful city, wow, gardens and public art everywhere and the Mayo Clinic rises over it all, great architecture too (and food!)
Amanda
8/11/08
Oh my gosh! What a great day! No wonder the girls asked if they could go back one last time before school is back in! Thanks Gary!
That would be great! Let's do it. --Gary
Grandma
8/11/08
See you tomorrow night, Amanda!
Amanda
8/11/08
Hey grandma, can you set the table tomorrow for 3 more spots? Ryan has a work dinner to go to, so I thought the girls & I would head on over!
Gary
8/11/08
Hey, be sure to check back tomorrow, everybody. You'll find a full report -- with lots of pictures -- on Tristen and Teghan's day on the campus. Don't miss it!
Karen
8/11/08
Boy, I can do the #1 reason at my desk (at school) and get away with it! Didn't do much this week-end other than watch the Olympics -- enjoy the swimming and we all got into the gymnastics last night. We were watching for Shawn Johnson -- been hearing a lot about her for a long time since she is from Des Moines. Gary how is the car? Still enjoy driving in AC comfort? Livy -- did you get any fish for your tank yet? Donna -- is your spare room/office finished yet? Lindsey -- are you still planning to go to SCC in the fall? John -- Marsha -- how was your week-end? Did you make it to Rochester? Erika seems to be fully recovered, eating most everything again. Not much time left of our summer. It will be nice to get back into the routine.
Car is beautiful. This new AC invention is one that I think will really catch on. Watch for it! --Gary
Gary
8/11/08 Top Five Excuses When Caught Sleeping at Your Desk:
5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."
4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."
3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."
2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"
And the NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk...
1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."
Gary
8/11/08
Quiet in here. (Too quiet, as they say in the movies.) I'm only dropping in to report two signs that Fall is coming: 1) I saw a display of Halloween candy in Hy-Vee over the weekend, which may be a record for Earliest Halloween Sighting; and 2) the lights were in on Memorial Stadium this morning, meaning the band is practicing for the first Husker game, just three weekends away. Yee-ha!
Amanda
8/8/08
So, I don't know if my email is working. I sent both Donna & Gary an email on Wednesday & I haven't heard back from either of them, which is weird! The girls were kinda wondering if you'd call today, Donna. I called you last night too, but got no answer. Not a big deal, just odd.
Anyway, Gary, do you have the game Neverhood? It's an older one. Ryan reformatted Tristen's computer, it needed it, it had so many old things on it from when we used it. Anyway, we're putting back on the games that they want & that was one they wanted & we have the case, just not the game...
I was all set to say "No, I never got your email," but then remembered I did! The question you asked in it totally stumped me, so I back-burnered it til I could get you on the phone -- and then forgot it! Sorry. Is Neverhood what you were asking about in your email? I can get you a working copy. --Gary
Emily
8/8/08
Happy 8/8/08!
Doesn't seem like it should be August already. Mom, Erika, & I all go back to school really soon! Mom and Erika go back on the 21st, and I move back on the 24th and start classes on the 26th. I am kind of excited for my classes, I'm thinking they shouldn't too bad. I'm taking abnormal psychology, public speaking, philosophy in art, and modern fiction. I'm really excited that I only have 2 classes each day and never before 10:30.
Erika is feeling lots better, pretty much back to normal and off the big pain pills. We even did a lot of back to school shopping and went out to lunch with Dad this afternoon.
Anyone else watching the Olympics tonight?
I'm watching the Olympics, and I know Grandma is too. Spectacular! (P.S. Thanks for the countdown items!) --Gary
Grandma
8/8/08
I have really enjoyed the old familiar pictures of Lincoln in the forties, hope this isn't all of them! I would love to pick up a few groceries in the Grand Grocery today, this is why I tend to notice the higher prices we have today! Enjoying the fine weather we have been having, felt like a fall morning this a.m. Livy, is the water o.k. to add fish yet? Sounds like you are having fun preparing for them. Erika, I hope you are now having a taste of real vacation now that your summer is more or less under control.
Gary
8/8/08
Next week some time I'll post a little write-up (with plenty of pictures) on Tristen and Teghan's visit to my office, which was lots of fun. Let's do it every week! In the meantime, I just wanted to be able to say I am writing this at 8:08:08 am on 8/8/08! :-)
Livy
8/6/08
Hey everybody! Sounds like you two are having lots of fun! Fortune cookies eh? Not quite sure what hand Teghan's fixin' though!! The details might help. :) But I went to Petsmart today and got a rock, well it's looks like coral only light blue and neon green to match my room and the rocks inside the aquarium! Then i also put some sea shells (real) and some fake plants along with american flag ;). I also bought a real plant to go inside as well, I put it under the filter, between the heater so it moves through the tank a lot. Now the fish!! I know a couple that I am going to get already... I know some neons, angel fish, clown fish, and some more too, I've only thought about it, I haven't quite looked through all of the fish I could put in there yet. But I'm just excited to get something in there!! Over this whole 'experience,' I've also concluded that I REALLY love water! Fish tank, waterbed, swimming, drinking it a lot, I can't seem to have enough! :) Well I will talk to you all later!
Tristen & Teghan
8/6/08 Tristen: Hey Mom, we're having fun at Gary's work. I'm making fortune cookies...
Teghan: ...and I'm just fixin' a hand.
Details to follow. --Gary
Gary
8/6/08 New photos from Livy!
Sam, Anna, Zach and Sunny
8/6/08
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!!!
Livy
8/6/08
I meant to stick this before all of my writing!! Happy Anniversary John and Marsha!!!
Livy
8/6/08
Hey everybody! Last night my mom dad and I went to Petco because I decided that I wanted to get another pet in my room. Unfortunately they said no to a hampster because they smell... :/ but as I watched dad fill up Linz's fish bowl for her beta, I realized that I wanted a fish in my room again! But no beta, I'm done with those. But I thought about either like 3 goldfish, or some tropical fish because I love the tropics, and for some reason I always think of islands one because of their name... :P and because they were so colorful!! So we got a great deal on an aquarium! Not what you might be thinking though, not a HUGE one, but a good sized one. It holds 15 gallons of water which means I can get approximately 10 fish in it. I've only decided on 2 kinds of fish that I want, and I'm also going to get an algae eaters to well, eat the algae! By the end of this week I should have about 3 or 4 fish in the tank. I know at least I'm going to get a couple angel fish and some of those neons!! The light that came with it is blue I believe (they also have other colors such as green or red) and they look real pretty under it! I can't wait to get the fish! But no goldfish either, they could be eaten, or maybe even eat a neon... not sure but I don't want to find out the hard way... :/ Well, that's all the news that happened around here!! Talk to you all later!!!
John
8/6/08
Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!!!!!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
8/6/08
Happy Anniversary John & Marsha!
Grandma
8/5/08
Happy Anniversary, John and Marsha!!
Nelsons
8/5/08
Happy 31 Marsha and John
Amanda
8/4/08
That's fine too!
Excellent! We're on for Wednesday. --Gary
Gary
8/4/08
Amanda, I got it wrong. It turns out the person I was talking about is taking Thursday off, and not Tues. or Weds. as I thought. So can we make Wednesday the day Tristen and Teghan come with me to my office? Sorry about that!
Amanda
8/4/08
Thursday is set then. Woodward. I musta been snoozin...
Thursday it is, and the countdown page now says Woodward. Thanks! --Gary
Amanda
8/4/08
Gary, funny you should ask, I was just about to send you an email & I came on here to read up on the latest before I wrote it.
I need someone for the girls Wednesday, Thursday & Friday of this week. Today they're going to grandmas, tomorrow with my mom.
Olivia, if you are reading this here's your answer too! (from the text asking what days I needed help this week)
So, Gary, you tell me what day of those 3 works & we'll plan on it! Liv you too, unless we text before that. Thanks for asking. Only 12 more "business days" before school starts! Wow! All next week they are hanging with Steve & Cathy, and then there's just two days in the last week before school starts on the 20th.
Friday I can't because of a dental appointment; so Wednesday or Thursday it would be. (Hmm, just remembered someone here in the office was taking either Tuesday or Wednesday off, so I should be here that day in case we're short handed. So it looks like Thursday. Yay! P.S. Thanks for the new countdown items! (Is Teghan's teacher Woorward or Woodward? You had it as the former, but I wonder if that's a typo? --Gary
Gary
8/3/08
I agree about the log splitter. I used one when I lived in California -- totally worth it! Unless Brent plans to run for President someday. "Rail-splitter" on Lincoln's resume seemed to work for him.
Hey, Amanda, do you have a day coming up when I can take the girls to work with me? There are lots of things we can do, in and out of the office, so it won't be boring for them. Looking forward to it!
Amanda
8/3/08
Gary, I saw the car this morning, very nice. The girls are excited to ride in it & were quick to point out all the differences, a/c, windows, non-sagging headliner, locks that won't bruise grandma...
Oh, and Karen & Brent. Rent a log splitter! It's the only way to go. Ryan rented one for 8 hours one day & got as much wood done in that day that he would have gotten done in months!
Karen
8/3/08
Gary -- nice looking car -- enjoy driving again :) Horribly hot here too, but not quiet 100 yet (98 though). Poor Erika is still dragging and a bit swollen. Just returned from Cold Stone with a smoothie for her -- so that should help. Brent and I had a fun day yesterday. Our neighbor knocked on the door about 8 -- said they were cutting down a tree and would we like "some" wood. I said sure we would be right over. Well about 5 that afternoon we said ENOUGH!! It was a huge tree, and they were more than happy to send the wood over the fence, instead of loading it on a trailer and taking it to the dump. Brent went out for a couple of hours this morning to stack it. We should be set for at least 3 years, and Brent's week-ends will be full of spliting wood.
Gary
8/3/08
For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of my car story, get ready to exhale. Paul searched out several possibles, but the best of the bunch was a 1991 Dodge Dynasty. Body style and extras were very similar to my old car so the transition from one to the other was easy. The car is extremely clean and in fantastic shape and a real treat to drive -- especially compared to my old car. After I got it this afternoon, I did three things I haven't done in my car for a long time: 1) turned on the air conditioning, which got cold even on this 105-degree day, 2) rolled down the driver's side window, and 3) drove around for an hour for pleasure. Nice!
I was going to take a picture of it for this page, but it's too hot to go back outside. So here's one I found online -- same make, model, and year, and even the same color: burgundy interior and exterior.
Thanks again to Paul for doing all the hard work. And thanks to Sean, too, for switching out the radio and installing my CD player.
And finally, a reminder to tune in to this page next week. Starting tomorrow is a special "Lincoln in 1942" series.
Gary
8/2/08
Three more new reviews, contributed by Olivia. We may be setting as record today! Thanks, Livy!
Gary
8/2/08
Thanks to Lindsey for four -- count 'em! -- fournew reviews today.
Amanda
8/1/08
Was it ever.....
Karen
8/1/08
Erika seems to be feeling OK. Got up this morning and she had a very swollen face, but after putting some heat on it, it seems to be getting better. Thanks for the anniversary wishes, boy does anyone else remember the heat that day? I think it was 107 -- so much improved this year. Not many plans for the day -- need to stay closer to Erika. Thinking we will go out to eat tonight though....
That was one hot day! --Gary
The Hatgidakis Clan
8/1/08
We all hope you are feeling better with each passing day!!!!!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
8/1/08
Happy Anniversary Karen and Brent!
